La Luna
by ChibiTorra
Summary: Poor little Lovino is feeling left out after Antonio brings home an injured cat. As he fights to win back Antonio, he finds himself hurt and alone with the idea that he is being replaced by this moon-white cat. Is that really the case?


He still isn't home. Damn bastard Antonio… Where could he be? He should know better than to leave a small child such as myself home alone for this long. Every day he comes home at 6:30 sharp to make supper for me, but it's 6:45, and he still isn't home! I'm fucking hungry… that jerk. Certainly his job is much less important than my starvation. Suddenly, the front door clicked as a set of keys on the other side unlocked it. I nearly leapt out of my clothes, leaping off the sofa and standing to face the door, ready to vent my frustration at whoever decided to waltz on in. The door swung open and Antonio burst inside, almost in a panic.

"There you are! What the hell took you so long? I'm starving here! Make me food!" But Antonio simply darted past me. It took me a second to notice, but he seemed to be cradling something in his arms.

"Ah! Sorry Lovino! Forgive me this time!" Antonio gasped quickly as he ran right past me and turned into his bedroom. What the heck was he so worked up about? What on earth was more pressing than my stomach being on empty? I stood where I was in a daze. However, after a few moments my curiosity took over and led me to wonder after him.

As I peered into his bedroom, I caught a glimpse of what seemed to be a cardboard box he was leaning over. He placed something gently into the box, and then rose back to his feet. He still seemed to be a bit antsy. What the fuck was he up to? Suddenly, he spun towards me and swiftly made his way back to the hallway where I stood. I stumbled back against the wall, bracing for one of his verbal assaults of compliments, but as he left his room he did not stop. He didn't even acknowledge I was even here, and before I knew it he had disappeared into another room.

Once again, my curiosity took me by the reins. I crept into the room quietly. The only light was coming from the slowly setting sun outside the window. Slowly, I approached the box. Wonder filled my chest, but so did fear and anxiety. What if he had found some weird, rabid alien? What if he didn't want me to see? Yet, as I peered over the side of the box, nearly as tall as myself, all my wonder turned to frustration. Inside the box was a white cat, sleeping on some blankets. A cat… a fucking _cat!_ Nothing seemed special about this cat other than the fact that she looked a little beat up. As if that bastard Antonio has enough to do with me around, now he has a damn cat!

"Oh. Romano. I didn't see you come inside." Antonio's sudden, quiet voice startled me a bit. I gasped under my breath and turned around sharply to face him.

"What's with this fucking cat, huh?" I asked with a raised tone. There was a hint of suspicion in my voice for no particular reason. Antonio gazed down at me with a soft smile. He was holding an armful of medicines and bandages. "Sorry Lovi. I just couldn't help myself. She's a stray; I accidentally hit her with my car on the way home and I couldn't just leave her there to die," he answered softly and honestly. He knelt down beside me and began to tend to the injured cat.

"Well, what about my stomach? I'm hungry damn jerk! Feed me!"

"Just a second Lovino… Just let me finish up here and then I'll cook for you," he responded smoothly.

I can't believe this. This fucking cat is the reason he's so late, and the reason supper will be late too. How irritating.

"I'm glad she's still breathing…," Antonio mumbled to himself as he continued to help the cat. I could care less. However, I still found myself hovering over the side of the box, scowling at the cat intently as if she was the spawn of Satan himself.

"What shall we name her Lovino?" Antonio asked randomly, casting a playful glance in my direction.

"How about Stupid Jerk face." At the name the cat's ears seemed to twist in annoyance as if she disliked the sound of it. It was the first time I had seen her move.

Antonio laughed. "I don't think that's very fitting."

Seemed plenty fitting to me… Stupid beast is going to get all the attention from now on. I could only pout and glare at 'Stupid Jerk Face.'

"How about Luna? Her fur is so pretty and white like _la Luna_," Antonio stated with a small sparkle in his eye. That's right… I remember in one of his boring Spanish lessons that la Luna was the moon. I brought myself to grunt. I didn't care what the fuck he called it. Antonio began to wrap Luna's legs up in gauze after placing a small splint over them. He sighed.

"Her back legs are broken, and so are a few of her ribs. This isn't looking good. Man I really got her… poor thing." Antonio rose back to his feet and overlooked his neat bandage work. For the first time, Luna opened her stunning blue eyes and glanced at Antonio gratefully before closing them again. Antonio laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Hah! You're welcome Luna!"

"Don't talk to it… idiot…" I grumbled, half embarrassed to even know him. Antonio turned to me with a large smile plastered on his face.

"So how about some food?"

Luna's tail twitched at my mere presence, but I simply ignored it and continued to glare her down as if she would explode and go away if I stared long enough. That would be nice. Then Antonio would stop spending all his time with this wretched beast and pay more attention to me again. It's been two days since he had brought her home and he barely even takes notice of me anymore! It took him a whole hour this morning to figure out I had wet my bed again… Which I'm not really complaining about… And then he left for work without even saying goodbye!

I growled shortly, and immediately Luna's ears turned toward me in annoyance. "You think you can be the attention hog, huh?" I grimaced. Luna's ears went back to where they were, losing interest. Her fluffy tail, however, was twitching more than a man with Turrets. "Antonio is mine. Got it?" I continued, my voice soft and muffled from behind the box. Luna merely sighed and readjusted her paws… again with the tail. I began to grow annoyed.

"Hey. You listening to me jerk?" I huffed, reaching out and poking her in the side. Luna suddenly jumped and glared at me with a hiss. She was tense as she spun around uncomfortably in her wrapped up casts for legs. Her fur stood on end and her blues eyes were so wide they looked almost black. She pulled her lips back in a snarl, baring her vicious fangs at me.

Surprised, I leapt back and let out a very audible gasp. Luna and I stood stiff for a good while, eyes locked in an intense staring contest. She flicked her tail some more to show her tolerance was running thin. Finally, she relaxed a bit and licked her whiskers nervously, but she did not take her eyes off me. "What the fuck was that? You scared the crap out of me!" I shrieked. Again, she turned her ears away, distraught at my loud voice, and again her tail flopped around like a fish out of water. I scowled at her and leaned back on the edge of the box. She tensed a bit, but otherwise did not move.

"Would you stop wagging your tail like that? It's getting on my nerves…" I sneered. Yet, she still continued to flip her tail around as if to say 'no.' Finally, I had enough. "I said stop!" I yelled out while lunging forward and grasping her annoying tail in my hand. Almost immediately she lashed out her claws at my bare arm with a terrified hiss, leaving behind four clean cuts that began to bleed. I fell back clutching my arm with a shriek. It stung, it stung unlike any other scratch or scrap I'd ever gotten. Luna cornered herself in her box awkwardly. The casts on her legs made it difficult to move. She let out a low warning growl before I felt tears form in my eyes.

Then, the front door slammed from the other room. I rolled over in my pain to see 6:45 glowing plain as day on Antonio's alarm clock. That had to be him. He was late again… I hadn't noticed. I scrambled to my feet and darted out his room, wailing like a siren the entire time. At my cries, Antonio became alert. "Lovi? What's wrong? Why are you crying?" he asked in worry as I ran up to him and latched myself onto one of his strong legs. "That Stupid Jerk scratched me!" I whined as I held out my bleeding arm like it was a piece of evidence in a crime scene. He knelt down to my level and examined my arm.

"Wow she really cut you up. What did you do to piss her off this much?" he teased in a playful voice. The damn thing scratched me and he's just laughing it off like it's nothing! The last time Turkey even tried to touch me he threatened to beat him senseless. What's his problem?

Antonio stood straight again, his playful gaze still locked on me. "I'll go get a bandage for you. Honestly Lovi you need to stop pestering the poor thing," he smirked as he turned to walk to the wash room. I folded my arms in pure annoyance. I was here first. That bastard cat is the one taking everything from me. Why should I stop?

Almost as soon as he disappeared, Antonio came back with a fairly large bandage. After applying some ointment on the wound, he placed the sticky bandage over my arm.

"There. All better," Antonio huffed with a hint of pride in his tone. There was nothing to be proud of, in my opinion.

"Now make me food!" I demanded in a grimace.

Antonio's face lit up in realization. "Oh! How could I forget? I need to give Luna her food I bought for her today! I'll make you some food in just a moment Lovi, just be patient!"

Antonio leapt over to a single grocery bag that was placed on the ground near the door and pulled out a can of wet cat food. Then, he swiftly made his way into the kitchen to get some milk and a bowl before finally making his way into his bedroom.

I can't believe this. He thinks of feeding that stupid feline before his own underling? How disgraceful… how irritating… how.. upsetting. A tear clung in the back of my eye but I held it back. Doesn't he care for me anymore? A pang of sorrow stabbed me in the heart. I was being replaced by a cat.

That night, I didn't eat much of my food and went to bed early, and he never once questioned it.

"I hate you."

Luna sighed and shifted her paws to try to get more comfortable. Last night, Antonio moved her box out to the living room. He claimed her midnight meowing for attention kept him awake. Bastard gets what he deserves if you ask me. However, once again like clockwork I found myself going back to my daily habit of verbally abusing the damn thing as Antonio left for work. I learned my lesson from the last time I tried to touch her, so I'll just stick to insulting her until she understands.

"I hate you more than anything, you know that?" I sighed weakly. Luna only twitched her tail as if to say '_I don't care_,' or _'Go away_.' "Well you should know…" I mumbled as if I were holding a conversation with her. Luna let out a small, low growl, but otherwise did not do anything.

I felt a pang of loneliness. Antonio always pays attention to her, and shoves me aside like an unwanted toy. It hurt. It hurt worse than he scratches I received from her the other day. The food he had given to her had barely been touched. The can merely sat relatively close to her head with a small dent in the middle where she had licked a small bit of it up. The Milk, however, was all gone. All that was left was a small, empty bowl.

I didn't really think of it much, but she wasn't moving lot today. Other than her occasional shift of the paws, or twitch of the tail, she made no effort to move. I never really thought much of it. Right now, all I could think of was Antonio. I felt tears cling to my eyelids. At this rate, I'll be forgotten and cast aside. I'll be left to fend for myself… lonely. For once in my life, I missed the fit of compliments Antonio usually threw at me every hour of every day.

"Didn't I tell you Antonio was mine? Damn it…" I whined. Luna turned her ears toward me, but this time it was different. She didn't seem annoyed, or unhappy that I was talking to her. She seemed to be listening to me.

"Why doesn't he pay much attention to me anymore…" I asked in a voice shaken by tears. Luna's ears turn forward again, but other than that she was still, quiet. No tail spaz, no growling, or shifting. She just sat there. "Give him back you jerk." Luna wrapped her tail neatly around her hind legs and tucked her front paws neatly under her chest.

I sighed. At least she was calm this time. For a brief moment, I wanted to like her. I slowly reached my hand out to pet her. Her ears twisted back, listening as my sleeves rustled with my movement. I froze, and the feeling was gone. My curious face was replaced with a scowl once again as I threw my hand back at my side and huffed in annoyance. Yet, as I looked back at her head, which was slightly turned in my direction, I could see her blue eye glancing back at me as if to say, "I'm sorry."

It was a lonely night, much like the past week has been. Storm clouds hung in the sky outside, letting out a small rumble of thunder every now and then. Though, it was not the thunder that had woke me up. I sat up in my bed, not entirely sure what I was hearing. It sounded a little bit like an alarm of some sort, but… different? It had more of a dynamic feel, like whatever was making this god-awful noise was doing so to annoy me… This seemed to be working. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and gazed out the slightly cracked door to the hall. The noise came again, and this time I could definitely hear a meow. It was Luna, no doubt. My heart flared up in annoyance at her constant yowling. However, as I listened to it some more, I could hear it was much deeper than her usual meow. It sounded lost, hopeless, and sad all at the same time.

I don't know what, but something led me to leap off my bed and quietly make my way out to the hallway, as if her voice was calling to me. I slinked past Antonio's room and approached the box with caution. The meowing suddenly stopped. I peered into the box, ready to shout my frustrations at her for waking me up at four in the morning, but something stopped me. Luna was gazing right at me, those blue eyes nearly saucers with what seemed to be fear. She was breathing heavily, and at my appearance she let out a small mew, unlike the massive yowls she was making a second ago.

"What the hell is your problem? It's four in the fucking morning you know that?" I grimaced at her. Luna opened her mouth as if to respond, but nothing came out. I looked around her box. Her food still sat, untouched since the first day she got it and her bowl for milk was dry once again. I gazed back at her, who had not taken her eyes off me since I showed up. "What… Are you thirsty or something?" I asked weakly. Luna did not respond. I'll take that as a yes. I don't know what caused this sudden rush of pity and guilt, but it left me making my way toward the fridge.

I yanked on the bottom, the door handle being too high off the ground for a child my size to reach. The door was stubborn and it took some effort to finally yank it open, but when I did open it I was faced with another problem, the large, two liter glass milk jug was on the second self up, just barely out of my reach. A rush of cold air hit me from the thing and I wrapped my arms around my nearly naked body. "How the fuck am I going to get that?" I whined to myself. I studied the fridge. There were multiple shelves and drawers all stacked perfectly spaced throughout the inside. Then, I had an idea.

I pulled both drawers out; the lower drawer was pulled out just a tad more than the upper drawer to make a little staircase. I climbed up to the first shelf and balanced myself as I reached up for the jug of milk. Finally, I got it to slide toward me and lean over the shelf so I could grasp it, but it was then I realized that it was too heavy. All of a sudden, the glass jug slipped off the shelf, and though I made an effort to try and grasp it, I only fell back with it.

I landed on the cold tile with a soft thud only milliseconds before the large, glass jug landed just inches away, shattering into pieces and sending the milky white liquid all over the floor and myself. Parts of my bare skin stung where some broken glass had cut me, but other than that I was unscathed. I felt tears well up in my eyes. I only wanted to help, but I only made things worse.

Suddenly, the lights flicked on. "Lovino? What happened? Are you alright?" Antonio's panicked voice sounded from the doorway. I sat up and gazed at him with sorrowful eyes and a body covered in milk only to find Antonio glaring back wildly. At the scene, he made a pained face, but managed to smile at me. He approached me and knelt down on the cold, wet tile. "What on earth are doing? It's four in the morning Lovino! If you wanted some milk you should have asked me," he stated in a plea. "Luna wanted it…" I grumbled shyly. Antonio looked surprise at my response. I started to shiver from being coated in this cold liquid in nothing but my underwear. No, it wasn't just that. I half expected Antonio to leave me here on the floor and run over to her. I was afraid and sad.

Suddenly, Antonio lifted me off the ground and carried me back to the wash room. "What about Luna?" I gasped.

"Luna can wait. Are you hurt?"

I shook my head. These cuts were nothing compared to Luna's. I considered myself lucky that the jug didn't land on me. Antonio placed me in the bath and began showering warm water over me to wash the milk away. "Why didn't you help Luna first… you always do," I mumbled in a pained voice. Antonio continued to wash the milk off as he responded.

"Right now, you are more important Lovino. I was so scared you had been hurt."

My heart skipped a beat in happiness, but my blank face did not change. He still cared for me after all. Antonio turned the faucet off and grabbed a clean towel from his closet. "Here, dry yourself off. I'll go get her some milk," Antonio offered as he placed the towel in my arms. "But-,"

"Don't worry. There's a smaller jar in the door," He said, interrupting me as if he could read my thoughts.

I lowered my gaze to the floor. Oh. The Door. I never thought to look there. I wrapped myself in the towel and glared angrily at the ground. I'm so stupid! I really fucked up this time. I wondered back to the hallway and found Antonio gazing into the box. I approached.

"She sure is breathing heavy… I wonder what's wrong," Antonio stated as I stood at my usually spot near the box. Luna was lapping up the milk gratefully that Antonio had poured for her. He merely shrugged and rose back to his feet. He grabbed a mop from the closet on his way back to the kitchen and started to clean. I, however, did not move. For a brief moment, Luna looked back at me. Her blue eyes shone, even in the dark as if to say, "Thanks for trying." Though, that didn't seem to be the only thing she was saying. There was more to it than that. It almost felt as if she were saying goodbye.

The following morning, I couldn't shake this weird feeling from me. I don't know what it was, but it made me sad. I sat up in my small bed and gazed out the window at this rainy morning. I sighed to myself. What a depressing start to the day. Yet, I couldn't shake this feeling from my heart. It wasn't the rain that caused this sudden feeling. Possibly, it was last night. The way she looked at me, the mistakes I made, everything just made me feel… not right. And then, there was what Antonio had said to me.

'_Right now you are more important Lovino. I was so scared you had been hurt.'_

It made me realize just why he had been paying attention to Luna more. She needed his help, and I was just being selfish. I glanced at my clock. 7:02. Had I really woken up this early? Usually, I sleep until 8 or 9. I stared at the time for a little bit, lost in this strange feeling before I hopped down onto the wooden floors and made my way down to see Luna. This time, I didn't want to pester her.

As I made my way into the living room, the emptiness inside me only grew. It was unusually quiet in here. I stopped at the edge of the hallway, my gaze fixed on the cardboard box. The air was still and quiet. Something was not right. It felt as if all time had frozen and somehow left me alone in this still and quiet world. Even Antonio, who was usually up a few hours before me, wasn't making a sound from wherever he may be.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and approached the box slowly. I half expected Luna to pop her little head over the side of the box to see who was coming, as she often did when Antonio was around, but there was nothing. I took my place hanging over the edge of the box and peered inside only to find Luna sleeping peacefully. I sighed in relief. "You're still here." The words fell off my tongue without any real thought. I thought about it for a moment and scowled at myself. Of course she's still here_, idiota_. Where else would she be?

My heart wrenched all of a sudden. Luna had not reacted to my voice. There was no ear twitch, no paw shifting or tail twitching, just stillness. My blood ran cold and my head became light. She couldn't be…

"Hey…" I breathed in a shaky, heavy voice as I reached my hand out to touch her. I paused, still no reaction. I felt the tears form on my eye lids. No… Finally, I brought myself to continue. My tiny hand reached her soft, cold fur in the realization of what was going on. I jerked my hand back, my face coated in shock as I stumbled away from the box and fell backwards in disbelief.

Luna had died.

My body shook all over. I must be imagining things. I crawled back toward the box and peered inside once more. Her thin, frail figure merely lay quietly on the blankets. There was a little bit of blood soaking the towel under her. I reached out and touched her once again, the tears in my eyes falling onto the soft fur underneath me. I sniffed once dryly.

"Hey… Wake up," I urged in a tear choked tone as I gently shook her.

Luna's limp body merely moved with my hand lifelessly. I shook a bit harder as I felt a bit of rage seep into my heart.

"I said wake up damn it!"

I stopped shaking her. The only thing I could do was look on in complete shock. Everything Spain had done, all the days he spent trying to make her better were all in vein. I was so frustrated. If only I hadn't been so selfish! I fell back on my bottom again and curled up; the tears flowed much quicker now. This was all my fault. She died because of me.

"Lovino? What's wrong?"

I had been so enveloped in my sorrow and frustration I had not noticed Antonio approach me from behind. I looked up with blotchy eyes to find him glancing at the clock on the wall. "It's 7:15… What are you up so early for?" he asked lightly with a bit of worry. I didn't say anything as I ran up to him and latched onto his leg, my tears creating wet spots on his jeans. "I'm sorry…" I mumbled quietly into the fabric of his clothes.

Antonio only gazed at me in wonder before finally glancing over the Luna's box. He was quiet for a moment before he moved toward the box. I released my grip on his legs and stood where I was, sobbing like a baby. He leaned over and reached inside. "Oh. Seems she didn't make it through the night. Poor thing…" he sighed.

"She would be alive if it weren't for me…" I grumbled, averting my eyes away from Antonio. He glanced at me curiously.

"Lovi…"

"It's True! Damn it… If I hadn't been so selfish she could be alive! Isn't that right?" I shrieked. Suddenly, he lifted me off the ground and held me comfortingly.

"This isn't your fault Lovi."

"But it is! I was so jealous of her getting all the attention that I pestered her all the time! I didn't even help her… she could be alive but because of me she isn't!" I sniffed a few times which was followed by a small hiccup.

"Lovino… She got all of my attention because she needed it more than you. I never once stopped caring for my precious underling… not for a second. I will always Love you will all my heart no matter what happens. But that doesn't make her death your fault. She died because she was not strong enough to make it. You can't change that no matter how hard you try."

"But-!"

"Shush! If anyone's to blame it's me! I'm the one who hit her with my car. Please Lovino stop being so harsh on yourself. I'm sorry I didn't pay much attention to you… I really am."

I fell silent. After my mind cleared, I realized he was right. No amount of help would have saved her. I was just upset that I thought Antonio would hate me after he found Luna dead. I was afraid he would blame me, but now I see he would never do that. He only wanted to help Luna; he didn't want to forget about me. Though the thought made me blush a bit, I knew he loved me.

Suddenly, a small mew broke the silence. Antonio and I quickly snapped our attention to the box. Something moved, but it wasn't Luna. Antonio placed me back on the ground and stumbled back over to the box.

"Ah_! Qu__é__ Lindo_! Lovino look at this!" he called out cheerfully as he held up a little white ball of fluff. My heart skipped a beat as I realized he was holding up a tiny newborn kitten, Luna's baby. I slowly crawled up beside Antonio to have a better look at Luna's kitten. It had white fur, just like its mother. My eyes filled with wonder as I watched the little kitten mew. Its eyes weren't even open yet.

"She must have died before she could have the rest. This one must have taken all her strength," Antonio sighed in remorse. He placed the little kitten gently in my arms. "Hold it tightly Lovino and don't drop it," he warned in a whispered voice. I held onto the kitten as if my life depended on it. Its tiny body felt warm against my bare chest. It reached up, touched at my skin and mewed again before deciding it was comfortable in my arms and snuggled close.

"Look!" Antonio gasped quietly as he pointed at the kitten. I looked where he was pointing but saw nothing special. "Its whisker on its head is curled… just like yours Lovino!" he stated cheerfully. A closer look and I could see it now, the one tiny whisker that had been curled on the top of its head. "It reminds me of you!" Antonio added in a hushed tone once again. I smiled weakly at the kitten. I guess it kind of does.

"Amore."

Antonio gazed at me in curiosity.

"Its name is Amore," I repeated shyly.

Antonio smiled. "Isn't Amore Italian for love?"

"They always say… no matter what Love will find a way right? Well… I thought since it was the only one it must have found a way." This was only partially true. If that were the true reason I named this little kitten Amore, then a name like Hope or Lucky would have sufficed better. However, when I look at this kitten, I am reminded of how much Antonio really loves me and of how much I have come to love him too.


End file.
